While conceptualizations of learning disabilities vary between brain deficit and brain difference, teachers, counselors, and clinicians should consider the degree and nature of the match that exists between the child's abilities and both the classroom methods and material. As the degree of mismatch increases between the child's abilities and the material that the child is expected to master, the child must adapt to this difficulty. Three stages of children's psychological adaptation to this distress are postulated: (1) an initial reaction of quiet withdrawal or active response, (2) disengagement, and (3) defensiveness. These adaptations and their implications for the classroom and clinician are discussed, and case illustrations are presented.
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